Winemaker Notes
Campo dei Gigli is Tenuta Sant'Antonio's most important vineyard, the source of the winery's flagship Amarone della Valpolicella wine. In the traditional fashion, the grapes from this vineyard are taken to the winery's drying room for at least 3 months to allow water to evaporate. The raisinated grapes have a high ratio of solids to water and create an Amarone with a classic style, concentrated and with balsamic notes.
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2017 Amarone della Valpolicella Campo dei Gigli is intense, like cracking open an ashen stone to find a bevy of dried black cherries, cinnamon sticks, incense and dried herbs. This is deeply textural with a balanced inner sweetness elevated by vibrant acidity as depths of tart red fruit balance and slowly saturates the palate in primary concentration. The 2017 finishes structured and dramatically long, begging for further cellaring, as a bitter tinge of currants and clove fade. Maybe splitting hairs, but I didn't believe that Tenuta Sant'Antonio could outdo their 2016 Campo dei Gigli, but over time the 2017 may be up to the task.
Rating: 95+ -
James Suckling
Thick and rather syrupy dried black fruit faces a wall of black-peppery, toasted oak on the nose, then turning more licoricy on the palate. Any subtler, more complex character is for now waiting in the wings for the youthful fruit and oak to vacate the center-stage. And that may take some time. Nevertheless, it’s attractive to drink even now and will continue to give pleasure for many a year.
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Wine Enthusiast
This rich Amarone is all that it is supposed to be and more. The nose is loaded with blackberry and cassis with licorice and savory herbs layered atop the intense fruit aromas. The palate shows off the beauty of the vineyard with deep dark plum notes wrapped around sweet chocolate and baking spices with fine tannins and a long finish.
With hundreds of red grape varieties to choose from, winemakers have the freedom to create a virtually endless assortment of blended red wines. In many European regions, strict laws are in place determining the set of varieties that may be used, but in the New World, experimentation is permitted and encouraged resulting in a wide variety of red wine styles. Blending can be utilized to enhance balance or create complexity, lending different layers of flavors and aromas. For example, a red wine blend variety that creates a fruity and full-bodied wine would do well combined with one that is naturally high in acidity and tannins. Sometimes small amounts of a particular variety are added to boost color or aromatics. Blending can take place before or after fermentation, with the latter, more popular option giving more control to the winemaker over the final qualities of the wine.
How to Serve Red Wine
A common piece of advice is to serve red wine at “room temperature,” but this suggestion is imprecise. After all, room temperature in January is likely to be quite different than in August, even considering the possible effect of central heating and air conditioning systems. The proper temperature to aim for is 55° F to 60° F for lighter-bodied reds and 60° F to 65° F for fuller-bodied wines.
How Long Does Red Wine Last?
Once opened and re-corked, a bottle stored in a cool, dark environment (like your fridge) will stay fresh and nicely drinkable for a day or two. There are products available that can extend that period by a couple of days. As for unopened bottles, optimal storage means keeping them on their sides in a moderately humid environment at about 57° F. Red wines stored in this manner will stay good – and possibly improve – for anywhere from one year to multiple decades. Assessing how long to hold on to a bottle is a complicated science. If you are planning long-term storage of your reds, seek the advice of a wine professional.
The region of Treviso is famous for the origin of the sparkling wines called Prosecco, which are made from its native Glera grape. Within Treviso are the Prosecco de Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG and Colli Asolani Prosecco DOCG appellations, which are independent of the more general Prosecco DOC.